Blast from the past....#OTD in 1944, disaster struck Allied forces while conducting a rehearsal for what would later be a landing at Utah Beach in Normandy, France.

#OTD in 1944, disaster struck Allied forces while conducting a rehearsal for what would later be a landing at Utah Beach in Normandy, France.

Read what happened in Exercise Tiger in our recently published page. https://t.co/Ra13jveuqM pic.twitter.com/NSfgfoMVP1

— U.S. Naval History (@USNHistory) April 28, 2019

Muslim Dr. Mengeles: NHS doctor and UK pharmacist were Nazi-style torturers for Islamic State

NOTE!  This "Geller Report" is new to me.  I do know that the woman running it is quite controversial, but if this info is correct then it's too important to pass up.  If this info is correct then one question needs to be asked.  Why isn't this more widely reported.  

Keep the comments in the proper lane or they will be deleted.  Also note that the original info came from the British paper, The Daily Mail.

via GR.com

A picture of NHS doctor Issam Abuanza who deserted his wife and two children in Sheffield to join Islamic State in Syria

Two British health workers who sneaked into Islamic State territory carried out ‘Nazi-style’ medical experiments on prisoners, Syrian witnesses claim.

Issam Abuanza, 40, a former NHS doctor who left behind his wife and two children in Sheffield when he travelled to Syria in 2014, was appointed the terror group’s ‘health minister’, the British Government believes.

Abuanza, now thought to be hiding in caves near the village of Baghouz, carried out such brutal torture on his victims that even IS fighters opposed it.
He appointed Mohammad Anwar Miah, also 40, a former pharmacist from Birmingham, who helped him remove organs from detained prisoners, the Syrian witnesses claim.

The body parts were either transplanted into injured jihadis, passed on to middle men who sold them on the black market to fund terror, or put in the cells of prisoners to frighten them, it is alleged.

A ten-man medical team headed by Abuanza also allegedly carried out chemical tests on prisoners, it is claimed.

The exact nature of the chemicals are unknown.

Story here. 

Open Comment Post. 28 April 2019

Indonesia goes all in on Russian weaponry...

via Shepard Media.

Indonesia inked a $175.2 million deal for two types of amphibious armoured vehicles – BMP-3F IFVs and BT-3F APCs – at a ceremony in Jakarta on 22 April. Once delivered, the vehicles will be allocated to the Indonesian Marine Corps (Korps Marinir).

The deal with Rosoboronexport, Russia’s state arms import/export agency, for 22 BMP-3Fs is worth $108 million, while that for 21 BT-3F vehicles comes to $67.2 million. Jakarta will pay for this acquisition via foreign loans, likely from Russia.

This is the third batch of BMP-3F IFVs, built by the Kurgan Machine-Building Plant (KMZ), that Jakarta has ordered for the Indonesian Marine Corps. A total of 17 BMP-3Fs and a single BREM-L recovery vehicle were ordered in 2009, and another 37 vehicles were added in a $114 million deal in 2012.

With this new batch the marines will soon have 76 BMP-3Fs at its disposal. The vehicles will be used across the three divisions of the Indonesian Marine Corps.

This acquisition also helps fulfil modernisation of the Indonesian Armed Forces under Phase 2 of the Minimum Essential Force initiative as part of the nation’s 2015-19 Strategic Plan.

----------

There is high commonality between the BMP-3F and BT-3F, ensuring more efficient training, maintenance and better spare-parts availability.

This decision for the BT-3F sounds a death knell for the Ukrainian BTR-4M 8x8 amphibious vehicle. Indonesia received five units in 2016, but it was unhappy with the type’s seaworthiness, and a follow-on buy of 50 more BTR-4s was axed. 

Story here. 

Always thought the BTR-4M was a weird, frankenstein type vehicle and it looks like the Indonesians have woken up to that fact.

Congrats to the Russians but I will continue to view this as a missed opportunity.

No way in hell they should be tilting this far towards them and not to us.  I don't know where things went wrong but its a shame that they aren't operating US systems.

Be that as it may, it does seem like they're building a smart force. 

Side note.  Can the BMP swim in open ocean?  I know the BT-3F is supposedly capable of doing so but I remain skeptical.

 

CNBC's breakdown of the Pentagon budget request...

via CNBC

• The Defense Department is asking Congress for $718 billion in its fiscal 2020 budget, an increase of $33 billion or about 5% over what Congress enacted for fiscal 2019.

• The Navy and Marine Corps request $205.6 billion, up $9.9 billion from fiscal 2019; the Air Force calls for $204.8 billion, up $11.8 billion from the last request, and the Army asks for $191.4 billion, up $12.5 billion from fiscal 2019.

----------

78 F-35 fighters: $11.2 billion

1 B-21 long-range strike bomber: $3 billion

12 KC-46 tankers: $2.3 billion

24 F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet fighters: $2 billion

48 AH-64E attack helicopters: $1 billion

6 P-8A Poseidon surveillance and anti-submarine planes: $1.5 billion

8 F-15EX fighters: $1.1 billion

----------

 1 CVN-78 Ford-class aircraft carrier: $2.6 billion

3 Virginia-class submarines: $10.2 billion

3 DDG-51 Arleigh Burke-class destroyers: $5.8 billion

1 frigate: $1.3 billion

2 unmanned surface vehicles: $447 million

----------

 4,090 joint light tactical vehicles: $1.6 billion

165 M-1 Abrams tank modifications: $2.2 billion

56 amphibious combat vehicles: $0.4 billion

131 armored multi-purpose vehicles: $0.6 billion

Story here.

Aviation is getting the lion's share of the budget as usual.  Ship building is as slow as ever and the numbers are shockingly low.  Vehicle production seems almost stagnate.

I don't know how we're getting ready for a peer vs peer conflict but if you look at shipbuilding for example, the Chinese are building more ships in one yard than we're building nationwide.

I hope we have some hella powerful secret weapons cause conventionally I don't see us maintaining a lead. 

If this budget is as good as it gets then we'll be militarily weaker than China in all areas by 2025.

Kinda depressing when looking at raw numbers.  We're squeezing ourselves into a hurt locker.

Pride of the Pacific: One Team | Official Trailer

US Navy sees the Super Hornet filling the same role as the F-35...flying node in the kill chain....

Thanks to Super Rhino for the link!

via FlightGlobal.

Boeing says it has enough business from the US Department of Defense, as well as international customers such as Kuwait, to maintain continuous Block III production until 2033.

----------

 While the service still has plans to order many more F-35s, it is becoming apparent that it no longer sees stealth technology as a cure-all. Instead, it is buying a mix of aircraft, with no expiration date in sight for classic fighters such as the F/A-18E/F. The US Air Force is pursuing a similar policy by buying Boeing F-15EXs.

----------
 "Being that stealthy didn't help us close the kill chain for the navy nearly as effectively as being a networked fighter," says Dan Gillian, programme manager for the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and EA-18G Growler. "Things like an internal [infrared search and track] or an enclosed weapons pod, they kind of fell to the bottom of the list."

NAVAIR did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

Instead of more stealth, the Block III aircraft is essentially a flying and heavily armed node in the USN's network. It comes with an advanced processor, called the Distributed Targeting Processor-Networked (DTP-N) computer and a robust communications link from Rockwell Collins, called Tactical Targeting Network Technology (TTNT). The cockpit also has a large 21in touchscreen display. The aircraft's computer hardware is designed to run next-generation sensors and software, says Gillian.

"It is a very large open-architecture computer, about 17 times more powerful than the mission computer in the platform today, that is open so you can bring apps to the airplane, bring capabilities on board rapidly," he says.

The aircraft's computer systems, with the addition of new software, are capable of controlling Loyal Wingman unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) such ast the Airpower Teaming System that Boeing is co-developing with the Australian government, says Gillian. The aircraft's back-seat weapons systems officer could fly a group of Loyal Wingman UAVs, he says.

Block III Super Hornets also come with an external Block II Infrared Search and Track (IRST) sensor, which, when used by two aircraft at once, can create a targeting solution for an air-to-air missile. Boeing declines to say what the IRST's range is, but claims it is longer than adversaries' air-to-air radar. The new aircraft also have shoulder-mounted conformal fuel tanks, which reduce drag and carry about 1,588kg (3,500lb) of fuel, extending its range by about 120nm (222km).

This is freaking HUGE!

The Super Hornet is the airplane that will carry the Navy into the future and the plane that the USMC should buy to fulfill its carrier responsibilities!  It will be cheaper to operate and if even HALF THE STATED CAPABILITIES are real then it will fit perfectly into USMC concepts being bandied about.

Sensor fusion...flying computer....node in the kill chain....long range...the Super Hornet covers all the bases except for stealth which NAVAIR apparently isn't all that sold on.

Oh and one last thing.  Am I correct in stating that the IRST being mounted on the Super Hornet is degrees better than the one in the F-35?

Nexter Group - Scorpion Programme : Griffon 6X6 Armoured Vehicle & Jaguar 6X6 IFV

Thanks to Gerard for the link!



The armor revolution is here.  How do we know?  Cause the Jaguar IFV is relatively brand new.  When it was first conceptualized that 40mm cannon was considered a BEAST!  Now?  Now its consider ok, but nothing exceptional.  How much "power creep" have we seen?  Well the idea of Utility Vehicles running around with different versions of 30mm cannons is now accepted and almost expected!

What has me wondering is how long will the US Army's choice for its next generation combat vehicle be considered the "big dawg"?

Will we soon see a return to a 75mm cannon as we saw on the Rapid Deployment Light Tank?

Open Comment Post. 27 April 2017

HMAS Adelaide embarks mechanised combat team for the first time

Thanks to Grey Forest for the link!

via Navy.news.gov.au

HMAS Adelaide has for the first time embarked a mechanised combat team including supporting elements to conduct Sea Basing Amphibious Operations over the Joint War Fighter Series in 2019.

A mechanised Combat Team from Battle Group Boar, centred on the 7th Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment (7 RAR), embarked in HMAS Adelaide during the recent visit to namesake port Adelaide.

The Amphibious Warfare Officer and Head of the Amphibious Department on board Adelaide, Major Charles De-Zilva said the task was complicated by the shallow tidal window of Port of Flinders in Adelaide’s Outer Harbor, during the embarkation period.

“To overcome this constraint, HMAS Adelaide used a pontoon barge to extend the tidal window for its side doors, and a detailed rehearsal and embarkation planning were conducted by the Adelaide Amphibious Task Group and 7 RAR to ensure safe and efficient embarkation.

“For Sea Series components of Joint War Fighter Series 2019, Adelaide is the Primary Control Ship for the Amphibious Task Group. This task is another first for Adelaide as she will be controlling multiple surface connectors from both HMAS Canberra and Adelaide,” said Major De-Zilva.

Commanding Officer 7 RAR, Lieutenant Colonel Adam Gower said throughout the Joint War Fighter Series 2019, Battle Group Boar will conduct Ship to Object Manoeuvre (STOM) and use both a mechanised and Air Mobile Combat Teams from Adelaide.

“This will be the first time that the Adelaide amphibious department will conduct STOM with a mechanised Combat Team and the first time that 7 RAR have conducted Sea Basing Operations with Adelaide.

“This is a step change in the capability that 7 RAR can provide to the Australian Defence Force.

“At the end of these activities we will be able to project and sustain combat power using both air and surface ship to shore connectors,” said Lieutenant Colonel Gower.

The Amphibious Department operates and controls both the heavy and light vehicle decks, the embarked forces accommodation and the Ship to Objective Manoeuvre. The Amphibious Department on HMAS Adelaide has a variety of essential components on the ship for vehicle embarkation and disembarkation, either by ship to shore connectors or while alongside using the ships doors and vehicle ramps.

The Amphibious Department also controls all amphibious Ship to Objective Manoeuvres, by air and surface connectors.

The Aussies are a stubborn lot but its quite clear.  For better or worse they might have an "Army" but the future of that Army lies with amphibious operations.

Consider it a form of the Italian  Lagunari (Wiki article on them here).  I got a nice little chucke (in an ironic kind of way) from the adoption of USMC language.

Then reason took over.

This is a tremendous opportunity.  I am not a fan of partnerships as its been conducted over the past 10 or more years.  I view it as more fluff than actual "go to war" training.

With the Aussies in the Pacific it would be VERY different.

The opportunity (if we don't squander it) is to fully integrate their Navy and 7th RAR into the US Navy/Marine Corps team.

A solid partnership with the Aussies and Japanese would go a VERY LONG WAY toward being able to contain China in the Pacific.

Of all our allies those are the two that don't appear to be playing both sides of the fence.  Additionally Japan and Australia have fairly good relations.

My recommendation?

If exercises in S. Korea are off as long as there is a chance of solving the nuclear aspirations of the little fat madman, then we should press hard for a US - Australia - Japanese full on amphibious exercise (along with the Air Force, Coast Guard and SOCOM...as many bubbas as we can get down there) that rivals Bold Alligator in size and scope and make it a recurring exercise.

Australia is getting ready and it would help them set up their Amphibious Army.  Japan has a new Marine Corps that could use the experience gained in a big exercise.  The US would benefit from the integration of large, allied forces operating in the field along with what I hope would be a massive interservice effort.

Win, win, win!

HAAR Exercise During WTI 2-19....pics by Cpl. Lisa Collins

Dragoon Ready – 2nd Cavalry Regiment....via Tank-Masters.de

Website here.

Blast from the past...Oshkosh Humvee Suspension

Hmm.  We have two dynamics going on that might dictate at least considering updates to the HUMVEE.

The first is that the HUMVEE will remain in service into the foreseeable future. The second is that the number of JLTVs are being cut by the US Army which will rebound to the Marine Corps in a probable uptick in the cost that we buy.

So what do we do?

One possibility that should be considered (in my opinion) is to dust off the plans by Oshkosh to apply the MRTV suspension (the TAK-4) and put it on the Hummer.

The Pentagon is finally tilting toward a peer vs peer conflict.  But we don't get to pick the fights we're involved in (politicians with agendas do) so the idea of having vehicles that can survive in an IED environment is a necessity.

Small Wars will probably revert to being a shared responsibility of the USMC and SOCOM, so we need to be prepared to operate in that environment.

If the cost is right.  If it can be accomplished in a reasonable time frame then this is I think a reasonable course for us to take.

F-35 Aircraft Fleet Performance Is Pathetic!!!

Thanks to CharleyA for the chart!

Drink in that info.  What has me spinning is the full mission capable rates of the F-35B (don't even want to touch on the abysmal performance of the F-35C).

16%?????

I called it pathetic in the title but that doesn't properly address this massive cluster fuck of a program!

Once upon a time there existed a United States Marine Corps that would not tolerate this!

Oh and note this is after almost 20 years of work to get this thing right!

Open Comment Post. 26 April 2019

FNSS Reveals PARS III 8x8 Engineering Vehicle

via Press Release.

FNSS demonstrates the modularity and adaptability of the PARS III 8x8 to different missions with the armoured engineer vehicle, developed for the Royal Army of Oman. The ongoing qualification tests for the PARS III 8x8 Engineering Vehicle are expected to be completed within the first half of this year, after which the vehicle will be delivered.

Developed by FNSS as its first 8x8 engineering vehicle clears surface laid mines and threats found within the path of the full width of the vehicle, from roads, tracks and rough terrain to produce a cleared route for the infantry and follow-on vehicles. The PARS III 8x8 Engineering Vehicle can effectively fulfil a wide range of missions owing to its ability to have equipment and hardware rapidly mounted and dismounted from its chassis. With different equipment and hardware equipped, the vehicle can execute the following types of missions, aimed at enhancing the mobility and operational capabilities of friendly forces and units:


*Removal of obstacles/barriers, clearing paths, maintenance of roads used in combat;

*Clearing paths through minefields to ensure the continued movement of friendly units;

*Construction of communication and defence posts, taking measures against surveillance (concealment), construction of mock-up facilities, and enemy deception to increase the survivability of units;

The contract signed by FNSS to meet the needs of the Royal Army of Oman covers the design, development, production and delivery of a total of 172 vehicles in 13 different configurations, as well as the integrated logistics support (ILS) services to be provided throughout the guarantee period. While 145 of these vehicles will be PARS III 8x8 vehicles delivered in eight different configurations, the remaining 27 will be the PARS III 6x6 vehicles delivered in five different configurations. The total number of PARS III 8x8 Engineering Vehicles will be six.

Role 2 Light Maneuver Team....Video by Kevin Dawson

K-9 Village UH-1 Battle Drills.....Pics by Lance Cpl. Auburne Johnson

Troubled Lockheed Copter Needs New Review, Inhofe Tells Pentagon

via Bloomberg.

The Pentagon needs to undertake another review of Lockheed Martin Corp.’s $31 billion CH-53K heavy lift helicopter program amid continuing technical problems and delays, according to the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee.


Republican Senator James Inhofe said the importance of the CH-53K King Stallion to the Marine Corps means that a “comprehensive, independent update” on the long-delayed program is overdue. Inhofe’s role leading the committee that authorizes defense spending means his request will almost certainly be heeded.

“We need to get it right, and this report should give us a current assessment and reestablish a baseline for the program to ensure taxpayer dollars are spent wisely,” Inhofe said in a statement to Bloomberg News. The senator cited concern that the chopper “is more than a year behind schedule and has over 100 outstanding deficiencies that still require resolution.”


Inhofe’s request comes as the Navy plans to award a production contract for as many as 14 new King Stallions next month, though so far only two of a planned 200 helicopters are under contract. The Navy program office and Lockheed’s Sikorsky Aircraft unit are still working to address 126 technical deficiencies, according to the Pentagon’s latest report on the system. The Oklahoma senator stopped short of suggesting the contract not be signed.

Story here. 

What has the Marine Corps forgotten?  That NO ONE WEAPON SYSTEM is worth an astronomical cost.  NO ONE WEAPON SYSTEM is indispensable.  You equip the man, you don't man the equipment!

Does the CH-53K (if it can work right) mean an improved capability for the Marine Corps?

Yes.  Without a doubt.

But is that improvement in capability worth the price?

I'm not sure.

This program should already be under review.  Can you honestly say that this program shouldn't already be under Nunn-McCurdy?

My worry is that we're falling into the same trap as we did with the F-35.  We're deciding that weapon systems are worth "dying in a ditch" over.

Sorry bros but that's bullshit.

If it don't work then you either get the contractor to get his head out of his nether regions OR you move on to another contractor that can get you 90% of what you want.

Do I like the CH-53K?

Yep.

Do I like the costs or the delays?  Fuck no!

Give me marinized CH-47's if they can't get us this helo at a proper price on a proper schedule.

Side note.  Can anyone explain where they got 200 for the number of airframes they're looking at buying?  That's more than the total number of CH-53E's that the USMC bought.  We're looking at a more than one for one replacement while we're also buying more MV-22's than we had CH-46's.  We're buying EXCESS CAPACITY!  How is that being frugal with the taxpayers dollar?

Evasion Course | Training To Evade Capture